Golf is one of America's most popular sports. According to the National Golf Association, more than 26.4 million individuals over the age of 12 played golf in 1999.
Although an athletic endeavor, few golfers are properly conditioned to play a complete round of golf. Most golfers succumb to some level of fatigue well before the end of a round.
There are many golf swing trainers in the marketplace which claim tremendous results through correct use on a consistent basis. While most of them have some merit and offer some benefits, they all can be generally categorized by one or more counterproductive deficiencies.
One category includes trainers that are solely unweighted in comparison to actual golf clubs. Since these trainers are not weighted, they neither communicate to the muscles of the golfer in such a way as to break down muscle tension and old muscle habits, nor develop the proper muscle memory needed to produce a correct golf swing. Furthermore, while some of these unweighted devices feel good to swing, they generally cause the golfer to swing the club over the top of the ball.
A second category employs swing guidance mechanisms such as hoops, tracks, belts and the like designed to force the golfer to swing an actual golf club or trainer on a supposed proper swing path. Such devices are generally quite complicated and require much time in setting up for the unique physical characteristics of each individual golf student. Since they do not involve weighted mechanisms, they neither break down old incorrect muscle memory nor build new correct muscle memory. Furthermore, these swing guidance mechanisms are generally based on the false premise that a golf swing takes place in a single plane. The golf swing is a bi-planar three-dimensional motion which known guidance mechanisms do not replicate.
A final category includes trainers which are improperly weighted, weighted by mechanisms that are hinged to the clubhead end of the shaft, or weighted through the use of a solid shaft composed of steel or other metal or a standard shaft filled with metal bearings, sand, or other material. While these trainers may increase strength if properly used, the use of weights alone allows the user to swing the training device with little physical effort on the down swing and thereby yield little results.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a swing trainer that may be weighted so as to break down muscle tension and old muscle habits but also includes a mechanism to discourage simple repetitive swinging of the trainer with little effort. Another object of this invention is to provide a golf swing trainer that requires no set up for a training session. A further object of this invention is to provide a golf swing trainer that readily fits in a golf bag with the golfer's other equipment. It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a golf swing trainer that can be used anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as a trainer or as a warm-up tool.